Participants from ÖIF German courses found out about entry opportunities into nursing / ÖIF integration service supports skilled workers
Vienna (OTS) – On Thursday, June 20, 2024, a career platform organized by the Austrian Integration Fund (ÖIF) focusing on health and nursing professions took place at the FH campus in Eisenstadt. In cooperation with the Burgenland Red Cross, the relief organization, the Burgenland social services, the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences and Caritas, around 100 refugees and displaced persons from ÖIF German courses had the opportunity to find out about vacancies as well as training and employment opportunities. The participants were able to hold discussions with recruiters on site, apply for open positions or arrange an interview. The ÖIF provided information about part-time German learning opportunities and supported the participants on site with CV checks during the application process. According to the nursing staff demand forecast by Health Austria (GÖG), there will be a shortage of around 200,000 nursing and care staff in Austria by 2050. Given the high demand for skilled workers in Austria, the focus of the event is on the possibility of a quick entry into nursing and health professions; further career platforms focusing on nursing are planned nationwide in the near future.
Tamara Hildner, head of the career opportunities team at the ÖIF: “Against the background of the high shortage of skilled workers in the nursing sector, the ÖIF informs immigrants throughout Austria about career opportunities in the nursing sector. I am pleased that today over 100 participants from ÖIF German courses in Burgenland have the opportunity to get to know training paths in the nursing sector and to talk to potential employers.”
Mag. Georg Pehm, Managing Director of the University of Applied Sciences Burgenland: “Education is the key to integration. We are convinced of this at the FH Burgenland. In a bridging program at the Pinkafeld location, interested parties can acquire the German and English skills they need to study at the FH Burgenland. The fact that we do not charge tuition fees also makes access to tertiary education easier for people who have had to flee their home countries or have been displaced. We are therefore happy to participate in the ÖIF career platform and present our educational offerings in the bachelor’s degree in health and nursing. We wish all participants much success.”
Friederike Pirringer, President of the Burgenland Red Cross: “At the Red Cross we live diversity – everyone can get involved with us in many areas, regardless of origin, age, religion, gender or sexual orientation, to help people who need our help! In the important area of mobile home nursing, we are always looking for people with heart who want to make a difference in our Red Cross Burgenland family.”
ÖIF career platforms provide information throughout Austria about entry opportunities into nursing and health professions
In order to inform job-seeking participants from ÖIF German courses about employment opportunities in the nursing and health sector, the ÖIF organizes its own information events throughout Austria. As part of these career platforms, institutions such as the Vienna General Hospital, KAGes, AUVA, Caritas and the Red Cross provide information about vacancies and entry and training opportunities in the health and care sector. On site, participants have the opportunity to conduct initial interviews with recruiters and apply for open positions or training positions. Events have already taken place in Vienna, Upper Austria, Carinthia, Tyrol and Styria, and further events are planned throughout Austria in the near future.
New funding for people in the nostrification process for health and care professions
This year, the ÖIF integration service for skilled workers has expanded funding opportunities for the recognition of foreign degrees and qualifications in the health and care sector so that they can be used in Austria as quickly as possible. Tuition fees from an Austrian university or an Austrian university of applied sciences for immigrants will be reimbursed during the nostrification of health professions such as doctors, health and nursing staff or midwives. In addition, the ÖIF integration service for skilled workers increased the professional recognition funding to up to 2,500 euros per person; costs for the issuance of recognition notices, assessments and translation costs for documents and certificates are reimbursable. In 2023, the ÖIF approved around 1,500 applications for professional recognition and reimbursed over 220,000 euros in costs incurred through the recognition process.
Fit for your job: Subject-specific online German course on the topic of nursing
As part of the career platform, ÖIF employees also provided information about the new online specialist language course “Learning German for Nursing”: The free, job-specific course is aimed at people who are interested in training in the nursing sector, are currently in nursing training or are already pursue a nursing profession – this includes in particular nursing assistants, nursing assistants, people in social care professions with a focus on working with the elderly, home helpers, 24-hour carers. The course contains over 1,000 exercises on job-specific, medical vocabulary and speaking with practical situations from everyday working life. According to labor market data, almost 70,000 people with a migrant background worked in the care sector in Austria last year, 23 percent of whom are foreign nationals.
A wide range of German learning opportunities promotes language acquisition alongside work
With a comprehensive range of part-time German learning options, the ÖIF offers immigrants and refugees the opportunity to improve their language skills around the clock, regardless of location, alongside their employment or caring responsibilities. In addition to classic German courses at off-peak times and on weekends, you can Sprachportal.at, the largest online German learning platform in German-speaking countries, can take advantage of free, job-specific courses from the ÖIF in order to expand and deepen their specialist language skills for their industry: courses for gastronomy, hotels and tourism, food retail or care are available. In addition, the ÖIF integration service for skilled workers has this year expanded the possibility of supporting part-time and pre-vocational German courses directly in companies: This means that people can be supported in learning German at work, regardless of their residence permit, from literacy to language level C1, especially in sectors that are particularly strong are affected by the shortage of skilled workers. In collaboration with Talent & Care, an agency specializing in the placement of nursing staff from abroad, and the Burgenland Social Services, the ÖIF also organizes its own German courses and exams for nursing staff who have received training abroad.
Questions & Contact:
Austrian Integration Fund
+43 17 10 12 03 375
presse@integrationsfonds.at
https://www.integrationsfonds.at